‘Police have revealed the identity of the so-called Croydon cat killer. Experts ruled foxes or other wildlife were likely behind the mutilations of several hundred cats that died in the south London borough and beyond, the Metropolitan Police said. There is no evidence of human involvement in the grisly incidents, the force said following an investigation lasting nearly three years, adding that it had informed the RSPCA and campaign group South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty (Snarl) of its findings.’

‘The badger cull is fuelling hundreds of illegal wildlife crimes every year, charities have warned as they claimed the authorised slaughter is responsible for the trend. Nearly 1,300 incidents involving wildlife were recorded in 2016 alone, a report has found. The actual number of incidents is also likely to be “far greater” as the Home Office currently categorises many of the crimes as miscellaneous.’

‘A ‘mouse city’ the size of the population of York was accidentally bred by scientists following a laboratory blunder, a new Home Office report has shown. Researchers at an unnamed laboratory bred nearly 180,000 more mice for use in experiments than their license permitted, and carried out unauthorised experiments on them, yet received only a letter of reprimand.’

‘For many couples pets are an integral part of family life. But when relationships break down, it is not uncommon for arguments to arise about who gets to keep the family pet. So how do these disputes get resolved and what are the rules?’

‘Criminal suspects who attack police dogs should be jailed for up to five years under a specific new offence, MPs will say this week. Sir Oliver Heald, a former solicitor general, is to call for legislation to cover those who injure “service animals”, including guide dogs and animals assisting police and military officers.’

‘It is clear that some iconic species of animals are on the brink of extinction. This is not just a crisis for those countries in which those species live, but a global issue. It will ultimately take a collaborative world-wide response to combat the problem.’

‘“Banker” Ni Li and “estate agent” Zhixong Li bought the live American lobsters and Dungeness crabs from a London fish merchant, hired three boats from Brighton Marina and cast the animals adrift as part of a religious ceremony, fangsheng, which is understood to be the cause of many ecosystem disruptions in Asia.’